Short of going to jail — or perhaps losing a lot of money, like Jon Corzine — a Great Man in corporate/government/finance America cannot possibly lose. There will always be consulting gigs, advisory positions and hefty speaking fees, handed to them in much the same way that the most successful Hollywood celebrities for some reason never actually pay for clothes. That would maybe be a good subject for one of Petraeus’ seminars — “Why I Am Getting Paid a Small Fortune to Do This” — in case any of his small army of research and teaching assistants are reading.
A student should ask The Greatest Man why he's getting paid a small fortune do this. I bet The Greatest Man does not like to be questioned.